3D printing, the process of making three-dimensional solid objects of virtually any shape from a digital model, has become a tool that some artists are incorporating into their process of making art. Ash Martin of 3D Systems, sculptor Bruce Beasley, Autodesk artist-in-residence Scott Kildall, and the founders of the Smith|Allen Studio show us not only how this technology works, but how it can be used in creative and innovative ways.

Seasonal cycles and winter storms bring extra-high "king tides" that can swamp coastal structures and habitats. What’s a coastal dweller to do? Take pictures! It’s no joke: Educators from the California King Tides Initiative explain how citizen snapshots can be of real value to researchers and policy makers.

Exploratorium biologist Karli Woodward conducts a plankton drag at our new home at Pier 15, sweeping a net through the water to survey the astonishing variety of tiny organisms that thrive in the San Francisco Bay.

Panama, Pork Pie, Bowler, Fedora—the hat is back. Reviving the traditional art of handmade haberdashery, the women of "Paul's Hat Works" in San Francisco guide us through their century-old hat-making process, from custom measurement and blocking of the felt blank to hand-stitched finishing and the final flange. For more information on "Paul"s Hat Works" go to http://www.hatworksbypaul.com/.

With a roll of thin plastic diffraction grating and some "stolen" sunlight, artist and exhibit developer Pete Stephens transformed the interior of the Palace of Fine Arts into a dazzling riot of spectral color. As he works to recreate the effect at the new Exploratorium at Pier 15, Stephens recounts the challenges—and the inspiration—of this expansive experiment in light.

There’s no mistaking the distinct voice—whether throbbing, singing, or screaming—of an electric guitar. How does one instrument produce so many different sounds? We visit with Bay Area electric guitarists Ava Mendoza and Henry Kaiser, plus Subway Guitars’ very own Fat Dog, to explore the components of this versatile instrument, getting down to pick-ups, “pots,” and pedals that make it sing.

For our first episode in a new season of "Science in the City," we explore the creation of a bell for the Exploratorium’s new home at Pier 15.
Artist Nick Diphillipo has been designing and casting bells and other objects for over thirty years. He teaches bell making at The Crucible in Oakland, California, as well as other foundry-related subjects.

How do brewers turn a handful of simple ingredients into the frothy, delicious beverage we call beer? Patrick Horn and Bryan Hermannsson from San Francisco’s Pacific Brewing Lab take us inside their testing facility and show us how a new beer is born.

Southeast of San Francisco, on the way out to California's Central Valley, thousands of wind turbines dot the landscape of Altamont Pass. Mounted both in rows and individually, machines with large propellers catch the wind, turning round and round at different speeds. Learn how wind energy is generated and stored for use in this most peculiar area, and its impact on living things both near and far.

Webcasts made possible through the generosity of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, the Jim Clark Endowment for Internet Education, the McBean Family Foundation.

Bandwidth and infrastructure support for connectivity to the California Research and Education Network and to other Internet2-connected networks provided by the Corporation for Educational Networks Initiatives in California (CENIC).